The Jewish Hospital Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation, part of KentuckyOne Health, completed its 200th lung transplant this week, marking a major milestone for the facility.

Transplantation has seen significant advancements since Jewish Hospital’s first lung transplant in 1991 and first double lung transplant in 1995. Through advances in anti-rejection medications, surgical techniques and other technologies, Jewish Hospital has been able to achieve three-year survival rates significantly higher than the national average.

“Since 2009, we have seen significant growth in the lung transplant program,” said Mark Slaughter, M.D., executive director of cardiovascular services for the KentuckyOne Health Louisville market and director of the Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Louisville. “This is a result of rededicating our team and program to provide the best and most advanced treatments available for patients with severe lung disease.”

Jewish Hospital is one of the country’s leading providers of organ transplantation and the only transplant center in Louisville for adults. Jewish Hospital works closely with University of Louisville School of Medicine faculty to pursue advanced transplant research, develop new technologies, promote enhanced educational programs, and provide the finest pre- and post-transplant patient care.

“We have performed more lung transplants during the past year than in any other year in our history,” said Victor van Berkel, M.D., Ph.D., Lung Transplant Team at Jewish Hospital. “We are excited about what we have been able to achieve, but our goal is to keep growing, so that we are able to meet the needs of all patients with severe lung disease in the region.”

“While completing 200 transplants is a great milestone in the medical community, it’s an even bigger milestone for those whose lives have been saved by this work,” said Valinda Rutledge, CEO of Jewish Hospital and KentuckyOne Health Louisville Market Leader. “We strive to make these live-saving procedures accessible to those in the region who need them most.”